1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a weed pulling apparatus of the type having a cylindrical tubular member and a weed plug ejecting mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
Weed pullers of this general type are disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,822,088 and 4,986,588. The latter discloses a weed puller with a tubular member with a lower end which is forced into the ground by stepping on a foot lever. The tube surrounds the weed and the weed plug thus formed is extracted from the ground. A spring loaded plunger rod is then released by means of a handle bar, which automatically forces the weed plug out of the tube and prepares the apparatus for another weed pulling operation.
Similar types of weed pullers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,283 to Sullivan and U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,888 to Parks et al. The weed plug is formed by inserting four spikes or prongs into the ground around the weed. After the prong assembly has been rotated, as for instance with the torque bar of Sullivan, the weed is extracted from the ground and then ejected from the assembly. The ejecting mechanisms are spring-loaded.
It has been found that the spring-loaded ejecting mechanisms of the prior art are not always advantageous, as the force of ejection is solely defined by the spring force and the length of the weed plug.